August 16, 2023

Our vision is clouded, but God sees perfectly.

1 Samuel 16

Randy Martinez
Wednesday's Devo

August 16, 2023

Wednesday's Devo

August 16, 2023

Wednesday's Devo

August 16, 2023

Wednesday's Devo

August 16, 2023

Big Idea

Outward appearances can be deceiving. God looks at the heart.

Key Verse | 1 Samuel 16:6-7

When they came, he looked on Eliab and thought, "Surely the LORD's anointed is before him." But the LORD said to Samuel, "Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the LORD sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the LORD looks on the heart."

1 Samuel 16

David Anointed King

1 The LORD said to Samuel, “How long will you grieve over Saul, since I have rejected him from being king over Israel? Fill your horn with oil, and go. I will send you to Jesse the Bethlehemite, for I have provided for myself a king among his sons.” 2 And Samuel said, “How can I go? If Saul hears it, he will kill me.” And the LORD said, “Take a heifer with you and say, ‘I have come to sacrifice to the LORD.’ 3 And invite Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will show you what you shall do. And you shall anoint for me him whom I declare to you.” 4 Samuel did what the LORD commanded and came to Bethlehem. The elders of the city came to meet him trembling and said, “Do you come peaceably?” 5 And he said, “Peaceably; I have come to sacrifice to the LORD. Consecrate yourselves, and come with me to the sacrifice.” And he consecrated Jesse and his sons and invited them to the sacrifice.

6 When they came, he looked on Eliab and thought, “Surely the LORD's anointed is before him.” 7 But the LORD said to Samuel, “Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the LORD sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the LORD looks on the heart.” 8 Then Jesse called Abinadab and made him pass before Samuel. And he said, “Neither has the LORD chosen this one.” 9 Then Jesse made Shammah pass by. And he said, “Neither has the LORD chosen this one.” 10 And Jesse made seven of his sons pass before Samuel. And Samuel said to Jesse, “The LORD has not chosen these.” 11 Then Samuel said to Jesse, “Are all your sons here?” And he said, “There remains yet the youngest, 1 16:11 Or smallest but behold, he is keeping the sheep.” And Samuel said to Jesse, “Send and get him, for we will not sit down till he comes here.” 12 And he sent and brought him in. Now he was ruddy and had beautiful eyes and was handsome. And the LORD said, “Arise, anoint him, for this is he.” 13 Then Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the midst of his brothers. And the Spirit of the LORD rushed upon David from that day forward. And Samuel rose up and went to Ramah.

David in Saul's Service

14 Now the Spirit of the LORD departed from Saul, and a harmful spirit from the LORD tormented him. 15 And Saul's servants said to him, “Behold now, a harmful spirit from God is tormenting you. 16 Let our lord now command your servants who are before you to seek out a man who is skillful in playing the lyre, and when the harmful spirit from God is upon you, he will play it, and you will be well.” 17 So Saul said to his servants, “Provide for me a man who can play well and bring him to me.” 18 One of the young men answered, “Behold, I have seen a son of Jesse the Bethlehemite, who is skillful in playing, a man of valor, a man of war, prudent in speech, and a man of good presence, and the LORD is with him.” 19 Therefore Saul sent messengers to Jesse and said, “Send me David your son, who is with the sheep.” 20 And Jesse took a donkey laden with bread and a skin of wine and a young goat and sent them by David his son to Saul. 21 And David came to Saul and entered his service. And Saul loved him greatly, and he became his armor-bearer. 22 And Saul sent to Jesse, saying, “Let David remain in my service, for he has found favor in my sight.” 23 And whenever the harmful spirit from God was upon Saul, David took the lyre and played it with his hand. So Saul was refreshed and was well, and the harmful spirit departed from him.

Footnotes

[1] 16:11 Or smallest

1 Samuel 16:14-15 - "Spirit departs? Harmful Spirit torments?"

Listen Now

Dive Deeper | 1 Samuel 16

In stature and looks, Saul seemed ideal to serve as king of Israel. Yet Saul's heart wasn't pure before the Lord. Now Samuel is going to anoint one of Jesse's sons as king. Samuel begins to look at their outward appearance, while the LORD rejects their appearance and instead focuses on the heart. David was not anywhere near his brothers while Samuel was choosing the next king. What does this teach us?

God is not fooled by how we present ourselves to others or how we might seek to put on a facade. Appearances can be deceiving.

Ephesians 4:22-24 tells us to "to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness."

God does not see as man sees. We judge based on outward appearance. God judges by the heart.

Luke 6:45 explains, "The good person out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure produces evil, for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks."

Out of the heart the mouth speaks, and it's so true in our lives. How many times do we let our emotions—rather than the character of our heart—take control of what we speak?

As believers, we need to be careful when perceptions of outward appearance turn into judgment. The reality is that we can't read the secrets of someone else's heart, but we see a big encouragement from God in 1 Samuel 16:7 because He knows our natural inclination is to judge appearances. With God's help, we can refrain from giving in to those thoughts. Instead, He can enable us to see deeper than just appearances.

This month's memory verse

For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.

– Mark 10:45

Discussion Questions

1. Have you ever been quick to make assumptions about others from appearances? 

2. How have these verses helped you view things the way God views them?

3. How does knowing that God sees your heart's motivations and is not swayed by outward appearances impact your daily life? Your thinking about others?

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HS

Hugh Stephenson

Good morning, Randy, Q1. This is HAHA question. When have I NOT done this? What percent of the time have I been wrong? Usually both ways. Two athletic examples- -A high school friend weighed 165 pounds. Playing high school football in Georgia. He was All-State. Seriously. -Spud Webb won the NBA dunk contest. He was 5’7”. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r1YRJvFvlgg Q2. These verses help me hit the pause button and zoom out. Then I can take a minute and consider how much I don’t know about a person. Which is usually close to 100%. Q3. Humbled. And focused on orienting my heart to Him and away from anything in this world. —————————————— John Rockefeller was asked what the secret of his success was. He said, paraphrasing, “I learn from my mistakes. And I learn from others’ mistakes since I won’t make them all myself.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_D._Rockefeller Presuming Saul is a prodigal king…what does God want me to know and learn from His example of Saul. And his mistakes. -Prepare for any mission. In this, I seek to understand what specific call God has given me. What are the gifts and talents He wants me to bring to bear fruit for His kingdom. Sharpen the skills those represent. -Know His Word. Deep study and Surrendered Prayer are key. I seek to know God’s nature and character. It’s one of love, kindness, goodness, holiness, and purity. Embrace that the only path to joy, peace, and rest is to be all in, sold out, take-the-hill, in-your-face-Satan! I commit to study God’s Word so that I know and accept that I’m deeply embedded in a battle in the spiritual realm. My eternal life is secure but my abundant life is what Satan wants now. -Surrender to His Spirit. I accept that I have zero chance in this battle when I rely on myself. If/when I do that, I become low hanging fruit for Satan and his minions RATHER than a bearer of the fruit of the Spirit, (Galatians 5:22-23). The Spirit of the Lord is the only “helper” I have and the only one I need. -Commune with His People. Put myself under discipleship with wise leaders who have the fear, (respectful awe), that is required to be a Christ follower. Make sure they have history and experience of discipling others. Talk to some of them if possible. Get their story. Seek counsel. Constantly. We’ve learned about Samuel. We’re about to learn about Nathan. Seek out Samuels and Nathans. RESPOND TO THE CALL - When you get called, (drafted?), run to the call. Stay in constant communication with HQ. Embrace the truth that living out His call is God acting THROUGH ME. It is not me acting on my own. That would be bad. KEEP YOUR EYES ON JESUS - I read Hebrews 11 and get energized when I know that a “great cloud of witnesses” is cheering me on. I seek to memorize Hebrews 12. In this, accept hardship, suffering and discipline as God puts me through the refining process of cupellation https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cupellation. Malachi 3:3
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Hugh Stephenson

The key verses for me in this chapter are vv 12b-14. “And the LORD said, “Arise, anoint him, for this is he.” 13 Then Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the midst of his brothers. And the Spirit of the LORD rushed upon David from that day forward. And Samuel rose up and went to Ramah.” I’m taught that God uses literary structure in the Bible to emphasize certain important points or passages. The notes reflect this is one of those passages. The decline of Saul is now at full speed. As is the rise of David. At the same time Samuel's return to Ramah indicates his major role is now over. For several more chapters its going to be all about David. Use of the term “anointing” is key. https://www.gotquestions.org/anointed.html I like that at many points the anointing represents the presence of the Holy Spirit coming onto and into a person. This was certainly true of David. Verse 14 is in my collection of the most tragic and saddest verses in Scripture.
HS

Hugh Stephenson

From the notes: The basic theme in Samuel, that blessing, and, in particular, fertility of all kinds, follows from faithful commitment to God's revealed will, continues in this section. However, another major motif now becomes more prominent. We might call it the theme of the LORD's anointed. "The theological thread running through Samuel and Kings is God's choice of a leader to represent Him as He implements His covenants with Israel."[357] According to Chuck Swindoll, more was written in the Bible about David than about any other character: 66 chapters in the Old Testament plus 59 references to his life in the New Testament.[362] This large amount of material reflects his great importance for Bible readers. Abram Sachar called David: "the most human character of the Bible."[363] "What does it mean to be a person after God's own heart? Seems to me, it means that you are a person whose life is in harmony with the Lord. What is important to Him is important to you. What burdens Him burdens you. When He says, 'Go to the right,' you go to the right. When He says, 'Stop that in your life,' you stop it. When He says, 'This is wrong and I want you to change,' you come to terms with it because you have a heart for God."[373] Saul had been God's anointed vice-regent, but with Saul's rejection God began to move David toward that position. These chapters record the gradual transition and slow transformation of the nation as the Israelites, and others, increasingly realized that David was now God's anointed. Saul remained the Lord's anointed as long as he lived. Part of the reason David succeeded was that he recognized this and related to Saul accordingly. However, David too was God's anointed, though God was still preparing him to take leadership and mount the throne of Israel. While the hero of this last half of 1 Samuel is David, Saul is also prominent. Saul declined as the old anointed, while David arose as the new anointed. In chapters 16—17 Saul and David were on friendly terms, but in chapters 18—26 they were on unfriendly terms.[358] "There will be many twists in the story of David's progress towards the throne, and not a few crisis-points, yet all is told in the knowledge that God can put his men where he wants them to be, whether the route is direct, or ever so circuitous."[359]
MS

Michael Sisson

Re: 1Sam 16:2 1Sam 16:2 (NASB) But Samuel said, “How can I go? >>>When Saul hears of it, he will kill me.”<<< And the LORD said, “Take a heifer with you and say, ‘I have come to sacrifice to the LORD.’ Samuel probably reasoned, “If Saul rejected following G-d in every detail as king himself, he will reject G-d appointing his successor even more quickly.” Thus, we see another link in Israel’s rejection of the Despised Messiah’s approach (Num 24:16) and in the rejection of His progenitors. Re: 1Sam 16:4 Did you ever consider the prophetic nature of the Gospel? The word itself comes from a Greek word “euangelion,” which literally means “good news.” Prophets typically came heralding good news or an announcement of impending judgment. Consequently, in this verse we hear the trepidation city elders felt when the renowned prophet showed up on their doorstep unannounced. Re: 1Sam 16:10 1Sam 16:10 (NASB) Thus Jesse made >>>seven of his sons<<< pass before Samuel. But Samuel said to Jesse, “The LORD has not chosen these.” Interestingly, this verse indicates David was Jesse's eighth son. Whereas, 1Chr 2:15 indicates David was Jesse's seventh son. (See also 1Sam 17:12) Re: 1Sam 16:11 1Sam 16:11 (NASB) And Samuel said to Jesse, “Are these all the children?” And he said, “There remains yet the youngest, and behold, >>>he is tending the sheep.”<<< Then Samuel said to Jesse, “Send and *bring him; for we will not sit down until he comes here.” Again, the role of shepherd is associated with the Despised One within David's loins. Moreover, David was held in such slight regard, it did not even occur to Jesse to present him to Samuel. (See also 1Sam 16:19)
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Amy Lowther

1. Yes, I have experienced occasions where I made assumptions about someone’s appearance. The results of those struggles were not good. As I have grown closer to God, I find seeing things like God and not making assumptions produces great results and it is a lot more fun. 2. These verses help me see people who serve as royalty in human ways versus people who are distant from society. 3. My value of God is the same. I believe God loves everyone unconditionally.
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Sue Bohlin

Thank you, Randy! Well HELLO DAVID!!! I always wonder, when reading this chapter, if David wasn't the inspiration for the Cinderella story. Poor little guy, intentionally left out in the fields with the sheep while all his brothers get summoned to meet with Samuel. God rescues him from the enemy's favored lie of "Not Enough" to "Chosen And Blessed And Beloved By God"!! David is my favorite man in the Bible (other than Jesus) who embodies the full masculinity spectrum--from sensitive, artistic poet/musician on the one end to the kick-butt warrior attracting rough-and-tumble men to himself--and then becomes Warrior King--on the other. No wonder David was a type of the Messiah to come, who even more fully embodies the full masculinity spectrum!
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Michael Scaman

I think there is an indirect message for the readers. David's songs brought comfort to Saul. They should bring comfort to us as well. We should pay attention to them. There is a huge magnifying glass for many prayers of 'the man after God's own heart' in the Bible. Saul loved David and made him his armor bearer. That makes sense that Saul would later offer David his armor David would be the armor bearer who wears no armor when Goliath steps onto the stage and takes his final bow. Maybe unexpectedly, to start all this off God who cannot lie allowed Samuel to give Saul a truth but not the whole complete truth. Samuel is going to make a sacrifice yes., but leaves off because he's annointing David. Sometimes you don't have to give all the details and shouldn't.